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New York City’s culinary landscape is an amalgamation of all types of cuisines, including exotic new foods and traditional favorites. Fried chicken, an iconic Southern treat, is a permanent part of the city's cuisine, found in all types of restaurants, from the very casual to high-end eateries. Although the recipe for fried chicken is fairly standard, 10 restaurants have managed to put their own spin on this classic in their quest to be known as one of the best fried chicken eateries in the city.

John's Fried Chicken

Located in the quiet Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, John’s Fried Chicken has achieved the trifecta of good fried chicken: crisp skin, moist meat and full-on flavor. The restaurant garnered praise from the “New York Daily News” in 2011, who proclaimed it the "best fried chicken in New York." This family-run business is also well-known for its affordable prices, a rare find in New York City.

Peels

Peels, created by the mastermind behind the popular Freeman’s restaurant, sits in the heart of the East Village in a spacious two-story renovated loft. Peels serves an assortment of American traditional, Southern and soul food, complemented by baked goods from its own on-site bakery. Chef, restaurateur and author John Besh, an icon in the Southern cooking arena, calls the fried chicken served at Peels “the ultimate comfort food.”

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Momofuko Noodle Bar

Cuisines collide at Momofuko Noodle Bar, where your order of fried chicken includes both Southern- and Korean-style. The restaurant’s fried chicken dinner comes with two whole fried chickens, a variety of dipping sauces, in-season vegetables, and mu shu pancakes and bibb lettuce for those who want to make a quick wrap. Although Momofuko does not take reservations for those ordering a la carte, you will have to make a “fried chicken reservation” using their online system if you and up to seven of your friends want to enjoy this meal.

Rack and Soul

If you are craving some authentic soul food with your barbecue, Rack and Soul can deliver. Harlem soul food guru, Charles Gabriel, makes his legendary cast-iron skillet version classic fried chicken that comes out moist, flavorful, almost greaseless, and with a crispy, crunchy crust that adheres to the chicken instead of falling on your plate. The fried chicken here is not only some of the best in New York City, “Travel + Leisure” magazine named the chicken some of the best in the country.

Pies N Thighs

While the name might be quirky, the fried chicken at Pies N Thighs is a classic. Located in New York City’s Williamsburg neighborhood, the restaurant has a dedicated, almost cultish, customer base that keeps coming back for more. The secret to this chicken, named one of the five best in New York City by CBS New York, is the long soak in brine before it's fried to golden-brown perfection.

Charles' Country Pan-Fried Chicken

Fried chicken guru Charles Gabriel recreates his Southern soul food magic at Charles' Country Pan-Fried Chicken, located just a short distance from Yankee Stadium. After you’ve sampled the fried chicken, leave some room for the rest of the classic soul food offered at this all-you-can-eat buffet.

Perry St.

Renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eighth New York City venture, Perry St., located in Manhattan’s West Village, showcases fried chicken that is anything but conventional. Using molecular gastronomy, he has created a bounty of flavor and texture in his fried chicken that “New York Magazine” has dubbed "astounding."

The Redhead

Making the fried chicken at The Redhead is no simple task. After several hours of brining, the chicken takes a leisurely soak in buttermilk before being massaged with seasoned flour and fried. The result is chicken with a moist interior and a crust with a crunch that you can hear when you bite into it.

Brooklyn Bowl

Also located in the Williamsburg neighborhood, Brooklyn Bowl offers music, dancing, bowling and some of the best fried chicken in New York City. What sets this restaurant’s chicken apart from the others is its unique breading made from a mixture of matzoh meal and flour, punctuated with heavy-handed seasonings that give the chicken a real zing.

Buttermilk Channel

Chicken and waffles might seem a curious combination, but Buttermilk Channel makes them taste like they were made for each other. They serve their fried chicken on top of a cheddar cheese waffle, but they don’t stop there. Each plate is then drizzled with a balsamic-maple reduction for extra stickiness and flavor.

About the Author

After attending Fairfield University, Hannah Wickford spent more than 15 years in market research and marketing in the consumer packaged goods industry. In 2003 she decided to shift careers and now maintains three successful food-related blogs and writes online articles, website copy and newsletters for multiple clients.

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